Every retail business has a heartbeat.
For Ellis Brigham, it’s been beating strong for generations - powered by passion, product, and people who live for the mountains. But keeping that heartbeat steady in a changing world takes more than heritage. It takes evolution.
Chris Rigg knows this better than most. Over the last 20 years, he’s grown from running Ellis Brigham’s flagship Covent Garden store to leading its entire retail operation. Now, as Retail Director, Chris is helping to write the next chapter of the brand’s story - one where technology elevates experience, not replaces it.
He’s steering the business through a transformation that stays true to its roots while embracing a smarter future. It’s not about flashy gimmicks or jumping on trends. It’s about making stores better, empowering people, and creating spaces customers actually want to be in.
In this interview, Chris shares the lessons he’s learned from two decades on retail’s frontline.
From invisible tech and emotional connection to why staff are your greatest asset, this is a story about how real retail success starts with listening - to your team, your customers, and the culture that got you here.
Chris, thanks so much for taking the time out to chat with us. 20 years in retail is quite the achievement. How have you seen retail evolve over the years? Has the core of retail changed, or is it fundamentally the same?
I didn’t grow up wanting to be in retail, and yet here I am, 23 years later. It all started in my mid-20s. I dropped my CV off at the Ellis Brigham store in Covent Garden, thinking it would be a short stop before figuring out my next move. But I walked into an environment filled with people who loved the mountains, great kit, and good service - and it clicked.
Six months in, I was running the flagship store. From there, I moved into regional roles and eventually stepped into the Retail Director position. I now oversee everything to do with our physical stores - Ellis Brigham, The North Face partnership stores, and others across the wider group. That covers customer experience, people, culture, profitability, and increasingly, digital transformation. The big focus is how we bring the depth, passion and expertise we’re known for in-store into the digital space, and at the same time, use digital tools to enhance what we do on the shop floor.
As for how retail has changed, it’s evolved massively but the heart of it has stayed the same. Customers still want great products, knowledgeable advice, and a brilliant experience. What has changed is how they expect to access those things. We used to manage huge footfall in Covent Garden without a single click-and-collect or ecomm return. Now, retail is omnichannel by default. People might start their journey online, come in-store for advice, and then order something for home delivery. It’s about giving them what they want, in the best possible way, wherever they choose to shop.
Technology has raised the bar, but it hasn’t replaced the fundamentals. Price matters. Service matters. And the ability to touch, feel and try out products - especially in our world of technical outdoor gear - is still a big draw. Our challenge is to meet expectations across all those channels while keeping that emotional, human connection at the core.
What does a great in-store experience look like to you?
A great store should spark excitement and offer value - not just in price, but in knowledge, service, and atmosphere. For many customers, coming into our store is the start of their adventure. That first conversation with one of our team might be the first moment where it starts to feel real. That’s a privilege and a responsibility.
We also try to blend expert service with useful tech. Foot scanners, for example, help us give tailored advice when fitting ski or walking boots. It’s practical, but it also feels like a premium service. And experience doesn’t always mean theatre. Sometimes, it’s about speed and simplicity. If someone’s popping in for gloves, they should be able to find their size, pay, and be on their way without fuss. So we design stores to make the easy stuff self-service and save human interaction for where it really counts.
What role does technology play in delivering that experience?
Tech should remove friction, not create it. That’s always been the litmus test for us. It should make things easier - not just for the customer, but for the staff too. If a system is clunky or unreliable, it doesn’t matter how clever it is on paper - people won’t use it. And when your team is spending more time battling the tools than helping customers, something’s gone wrong.
That’s why we’ve been really focused on things like mobile POS. It’s a simple change with a big impact. Staff can stay on the shop floor, serve customers on the spot, and not break the flow of the interaction by marching them over to a till. It’s smoother, it’s faster, and it feels better for everyone involved. That kind of subtle shift can completely change the energy in a store.
We’ve had to learn this the hard way over the years. Our staff have been telling us for a long time - Wi-Fi’s slow, tills are laggy, the system crashes when it’s busy. And if you ignore that, it chips away at the experience. So for us, it’s about building from the ground up. Get the infrastructure right, find the tech that’s the best fit for you , and give your people the tools they actually want to use. Because if it’s easier to sell, you’ll sell more - and the customer will enjoy it more too. It’s a win-win.
How important are your store associates to the success of the business?
They are everything. Genuinely, without them, we’ve got no business. We’re not the cheapest, we don’t always have the biggest range, and we can’t throw millions at marketing campaigns. What we do have - and what sets us apart - is a team of people who live and breathe the outdoors. People who’ve climbed the mountains, hiked the trails, and skied the slopes. That passion and experience is what gives us credibility, and it's what customers connect with.
We’re very intentional about who we hire. Whether it’s a skier, a snowboarder, a climber or a trail runner - every person on our shop floor brings real-world knowledge to the conversation. That’s incredibly powerful when you’re helping someone plan for a once-in-a-lifetime adventure. It turns a sales interaction into a moment of shared excitement, trust, and genuine advice.
What are the biggest challenges facing physical retail right now?
It’s not a surprising answer but rising wage costs, business rates, and the inflexibility of landlords are huge pressures. We’re a family business with northern roots. We want to pay people well, invest in stores, and grow sustainably. But when every cost is going up, that’s hard. You have to be smart about where and how you spend.
That’s where tech comes in again. If we can use it to automate or streamline certain tasks, we can protect our staff hours for where they matter most - on the shop floor. It also means rethinking old habits. Maybe we don’t need someone behind a till all the time. Maybe store design needs to evolve to support better self-service. It’s about being brave enough to change.
Despite these challenges, what excites you most about the future of retail?
Retail never stands still. That’s why I’ve stayed in it so long. There’s always something to learn, something to improve, and something that gets me excited. I still get a buzz from seeing a store come to life or hearing how a customer had an amazing experience.
What excites me now is the blend of digital and human - how we can bring in technology that makes things slicker, smarter, and more personalized, without losing that core Ellis Brigham magic. I want to surround myself with people who get where tech is going, and who can help us future-proof our business without losing what makes us special.
Drawing on all your experience, what would your top tips for other retailers be right now?
First, listen to your staff. They’re on the frontline, talking to customers every day, and they know where the pain points and opportunities are. Too many decisions are made in boardrooms without that insight.
Second, take people on the journey. Change is scary. But if you share your vision, give people sneak peeks of what’s coming, and get them excited, they’ll come with you. Transformation doesn’t work if it’s dumped on people without context.
Third, communicate - clearly, often, and with purpose. Whether I’m coaching teenagers on a rugby pitch or managing a team of store managers, the principal's the same. Be open. Be honest. And trust people to rise to the challenge. That’s how you build something that lasts.
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